Best winter set up for 4S wide body

I have a C4s. As I am sure some of you know, they don't make winter tires in the 295/30 size of the rear wheels. So I have purchased a set of C2 wheels and winter tires to use this winter. The front wheels are 225 rather than 235 and the rears are 265 rather than the stock 295. Has anyone else used the smaller rims for a winter set up? If so, do the fronts even need spacers given the small difference between them and the stock rims. Second, what is the proper spacer thickness for the rears? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

John - not sure what size rims you have but I run Blizzaks and they work very well for winter use BridgeStone Blizzak Tires: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=Blizzak+LM-60 F: 225/40-19 R: 265/35 -19 or 275/45 -19 (I think its the 265 width)

I ran Porsche recommended wheel and tire sizes in my C4S and dropped down to a 10x18 wheel. This resulted in a bit of a "sunken" appearance in the rear because the wheels didn't sit flush with the fender like my 11x18 wheels. I used 17mm Porsche OE spacers and the winter wheels looked just right. I didn't use spacers on the front wheels. I've sold nmy C4S and I just happen to have my 17mm spacers for sale if you're interested. What's the offset of your rear winter wheels?

The size rims I have are 225/40 and 265/35 on the rear. The are OEM Porsche Turbo Twist wheels with Perelli winter tires on them. My stock rims are 235/40 and 295/30 on the rear. I don't think the 10 mm should make much difference on the front. But the 30mm on the back is a bit over an inch. Seems like spacers would be appropriate there. But I don't know.

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You did exactly what I am doing. So it will work without the spacers. The rears are coming with spacers. I am not sure the width, but I bet they are 15s or 17s. Very glad to hear it worked. I am a bit neurotic about this sort of thing. I felt I would be okay. Nice to know for sure. Thanks. I expect the car to be a little German tank in the snow now that it will have winter tires. How did you like yours in the snow?

It was great in the snow if it wasn't more than 5" deep. Proper winter tires and the weight of the engine over the primary drive wheels are the primary reasons for this. The AWD system wasn't really designed for snow and it really doesn't do much when PSM is in use (as it should be for winter driving!).

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Is the AWD for the wet then? I have loved both AWD cars I have ever owned. With a front engined sedan, it makes a huge difference in the snow since rear wheel drive front engined cars just don't get very good traction in the snow. I bought the 4S for the looks as much as anything and the best car available when I bought mine was a 4S. Serious question though, if the AWD doesn't help me much in the snow, and when you think about it being a rear engined car, I think you are right about that, when does it help me other than looking nice with that wide rear end?

Dennis is correct about the AWD's main objective. Its not going to be like Quattro, but it is there and will help (40% to be exact) in the white stuff. I have found that its more noticeable at higher speeds however which is a bit odd at first, so in 1st gear its hard to tell if theres any power being transferred to the front. But 2nd+3rd I can feel the front wheels pulling and the drift characteristics are more closely aligned with an AWD sedan. That said, I could feel the front wheels engaging to get me out of an icy parking spot in reverse while backing up an incline as well. So where as Audi/Subaru AWD is always present, the C4S's hides in the background and is more reactive than proactive in responding As for driving with TC on... lol, not sure I tried that I posted some snow shots a while back in this thread - https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...h-a-996-a.html

The AWD system in the 996 is a mechanical system that utilizes a viscous coupling to drive the front wheels. It typically sends about 5% of the power to the front wheels, and can send up to 40% of the power to the front wheels. The system was really designed for use on the race track. This system is activated when there is a speed differential between the front and rear wheels. This speed differential occurs during high speed cornering that you would find on a race track or in spirited driving. The speed differential causes the dilitant fluid inside the front drivetrain to heat up and become very hard, almost solid, which then drives the front wheels. In snowy or icy conditions, wheel spin due to loss of traction causes a speed differential between front and rear wheels. However, the electronics in your car (PSM) will kick in if the rear wheels spin and will control that wheel spin long before the front wheels are engaged. You can disable PSM to counteract this, but you lose your skid control and that's not good in slippery conditions. If you need to do this to climb up a slippery driveway, then it's not a bad idea. I've done it before. Don't get me wrong - I love AWD in the 996. It lets you get on the gas and power out of corners in a very satisfying manner. It's just important to know that it's nothing like Quattro, as BAD.TAG mentioned. With proper winter tires, your C4S will be a hoot in the snow and will be very reliable daily transportation.

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I never knew the official term for the VC fluid, thanks